


Flutz

by fragilenights



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hockey, Ice Skating, M/M, basically i just love some angsty flirting, no damn clown
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-31 05:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21085331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilenights/pseuds/fragilenights
Summary: "The most difficult jump besides the axel, a lutz takes off from a backward outside edge and requires the skater to take off on one foot, with the other leg reaching behind and across the body to pick into the ice, using the toe pick to help get into the air. Many skaters have difficulty getting the proper takeoff and instead take off from an inside edge, like a flip jump, which is what gives the faulty jump its nickname: 'flutz.'"-In Eddie's personal opinion, Richie was an annoying asshat who clearly never learned how to shut up.His opinion of him was even worse when Richie was abusing the ice rink with his bulky hockey skates.In Richie's personal opinion, Eddie was a feisty, little prick that he found great joy in pissing off.His opinion of him would always slightly shift in a heartfelt manner whenever he saw Eddie gliding around the ice on his skates.A mutual crush fueled on sporting rivalries and late-teenage hormones was bound to have a rocky start and an even bumpier landing.





	Flutz

He effortlessly glided across the ice. 

Soaring across the floor. Smooth and delicate, yet with so much power and control. 

_Sospri, Opus 70_ pouring through his earbuds. Guiding his movements as the blades on his feet cut across the ice. 

As the song began to speed up, Eddie did too. 

With the crescendo continuing to build, he made his way across the rink, gliding around the corner. 

Working up to a triple flip, Eddie quickly turned his body and used his toe pick to launch himself into the air. 

Whenever anyone asked Eddie about his skating, they would typically ask why he enjoyed the activity so much. Eddie always had a prepared answer of how it perfectly meshed artistic expression with a physical sport and blah blah blah, but in all honesty, he loved jumps. The feeling of hurling yourself through the air with your own strength and feeling as if you have total control over your own body as the ice guides you along its slick surface was his favorite thing in the world. 

During a jump, right when you're in mid-air, time slows down and all senses become heightened. In Eddie's opinion, the euphoria he felt whenever he was mid-air was better than any high a drug could offer him. In those moments, the world goes still. All you're left with is the feeling of your body cutting through the air, sending icy chills over your skin. The sudden lack of pressure on your feet even though every muscle in your body is tensed up in preparation for the landing. The somehow natural way the body turns and abides to the physics of the surrounding world. 

Sometimes this otherworldly feeling was so overwhelming that he would get caught up in it. This was one of those times. 

As his skate came back down to the ice, the blade got caught in a large divot in the ice, sending his whole body down and down hard. 

Sliding across the ice and slowly hitting the nearest wall, he heard Beverly stop her own practice and skate on over to offer a hand. 

Eddie, stuck in his own misery and annoyance, let his head rest on the cold, solid ice for a minute until he saw the shadow of his friend fall over the ice in front of him. 

"Still can't get that flip?" Beverly asked with a small amount of pity in her eyes, but any amount of pity was enough to send Eddie over the edge at this point. 

"What do you think?" Eddie quipped back with a pointed glare. Through his annoyance, he still reached up and grabbed her hand. 

"Hey don't take it out on me! I'm just your supportive and loving friend! At least I came over to check on you, unlike somebody," Bev chuckled with a head nod over to Stanley who was completely caught up in his own practice.

"I literally fucking did it before, I swear! Ask Angie! She saw me land it perfectly last Saturday, but ever since then it keeps tripping me up," Eddie whined as he absentmindedly took his aggression out on the ice below him with a few swift kicks from his toe pick.

"Well there is no need to bully the ice, Kaspbrak."

"Oh please, my baby potholes are nothing compared to these fucking ridges the hockey buffoons leave on the ice. If anything, these little divots are payback. That chunk of missing ice there is what trashed my landing."

"Mhm, keep telling yourself that, sweetheart," Beverly said to him with a smirk as she skated away from him to make use out of the last few minutes of practice. 

With Eddie's frequent visits to the rink, a local woman, who used to skate competitively, developed an interest in him. Angie may have been forty-two, but she was quick on her feet to take Eddie under her wing and help him make good use out of his skills. While he had been training on his own for years now, he had developed a base knowledge that Angie deemed suitable to further him along in the sport. She even had hopes that Eddie would compete himself in the coming years. 

Eddie skated around for a bit, simply moping and analyzing his inability to complete the jump when he was interrupted by the arena doors loudly opening and slamming shut, followed by the loud voices of teenage boys. 

"Alright losers, get off the ice!"

"Fuck off, Tozier! We still have ten minutes left. I still don't get why you guys have practices anyway. No amount of practice can save your team from the impending doom that is Richie Tozier. 

"Oh! Little K gets off a good one!"

"Shut the fuck up," Eddie muttered half-heartedly as he put his earbuds back in and continued through to his layback spin. 

Coming out of the spin, it took a second for Eddie's eyes to adjust to the dizzying world around him as he continued to cut across the ice. But when he looked up, he could make out the figure of the aforementioned obnoxious boy crossing the ice to meet him. 

Sighing he pulled out his earbud once more and slowed down to yell, "Are you deaf, dipshit? I said get off the fuc-"

Eddie squeaked as Richie sped by him, wrapping an arm around his midsection and lifting him off the ground.

"What the fuck! Let go of me, asshole!" Eddie yelled as he squirmed around in Richie's arm.

Richie chuckled in response, asking "Want me to toss ya, honeybuns?"

With the horror that spread across Eddie's face, Richie let out another good laugh and faked the smaller boy out by tossing him a good inch into the air before catching him and holding him close once again, the action resulted in a squeal of terror from the smaller boy.

A wide grin appeared across Richie's face as he was met with Eddie's beet-red complexion as he continued to squabble about how much of a dick Richie was being.

In a swift motion, Richie skidded over to the rink entrance plopped Eddie onto the half-wall and skated off with a sailor saulte, "Bye-uh, sweetcheeks."

Eddie was about to hop down onto the ice to go beat Richie's ass, when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned around to meet the annoyed, yet composed face of Stan, who simply stated, "We've surrendered." 

Eddie opened his mouth to argue when Beverly stopped him, "Ben promised me that they would give us an extra fifteen minutes on Wednesday."

Eddie let out an angry scoff as he rotated his body to fully get off of the ice, "You're lucky that sap has a thing for you; otherwise, I'd have all of their heads on stakes by now." 

"And I would be so honored," Richie hollered over with a fake British accent, speeding up his skates to come ruffle Eddie's hair. 

As Eddie swatted at the other man's hands, Stan turned to walk away and Beverly followed with an added smirk and wink stating, "Watch it, Tozier. He bites."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Richie said with a devilish grin as he twirled one of Eddie's now untamed curls around his pointer finger. 

Eddie scoffed and turned to storm off when a hand wrapped around his wrist and lightly pulled him back. 

Eddie turned back to the other boy with a pointed glare but was taken-aback by the kind, open eyes he was met with. Suddenly away from the others, there was a gentleness that came over Richie's face as he stared down at the smaller boy. 

He breathed out a soft, "Hey."

Eddie quickly shook himself out of the trance that Richie had him in, "What do you want?"

Richie blinked at the still present anger and removed his hand from Eddie's wrist to scratch the back of his neck, missing the way that Eddie's arm followed the motion, not wanting to lose the contact. In the awkward moment, Eddie saw the alien softness leave Richie's face as his normal goofball personality was back on full display. 

"I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up tomorrow to study for the government midterm. I know you hate me, but we both know that Adams is going to try and kill us all with this next exam."

Richie and Eddie weren't close. They definitely weren't friends. They didn't even hang around the same crowd.

Starting college this past fall brought on a lot of stress in Eddie's life. Through the new process of adjusting to the sudden lack of his overbearing mother's constant presence, Eddie was left with a lot of freedom. 

Ice skating was always a passion of his. He remembers when he was only about five, his dad had taken him out to his grandparents' backyard to skate around on the frozen lake without his mom knowing. In the coming years, after his dad had passed, the act of ice skating left Eddie with a power and comfort he couldn't find anywhere else. All throughout high school, Eddie would sneak off to the local ice skating rink whenever he could to get some practice in without his mom's concern.

College allowed for this interest to be even further explored and Eddie eventually found himself attending the local ice rink multiple times a week. Through his regular visits, he aquatinted himself with two fellow University of Maine students who were also passionate about skating, Beverly and Stan. 

They became a little group. Eddie had finally found some real friends when suddenly his friend group had been introduced to a few members of the hockey team that shared the ice with them. Richie was accompanied by Mike, Bill, and Ben. Three sweet boys and one nuisance. Eddie was adamant about steering clear from these guys, but Beverly and Stan seemed to develop a liking for the bunch. They never hung out as a group officially, but whenever they would see each other at parties, the two groups tended to gravitate towards each other. Through this gradual pull, Eddie made sure to set boundaries on the fact that he would _never_ be friends with Richie Tozier. So he ignored the other boy. Even though it was hard to bite his tongue and swallow his angry words whenever Richie made some obnoxious joke, he essentially treated Richie like he didn't exist. He knew it was harsh but hey, a man's got to survive somehow.

All had been going well until Eddie was forced to add a class to his course load due to bullshit university requirements that would, in his opinion, never be useful for a pre-med student like himself. And suddenly, the two were in the same required government class.

Eddie tried to ignore Richie in the giant lecture hall after he recognized the eye sore that was the 6'2", wild curly raven haired boy who was adorned in neon colors. But Richie was practically always draw to Eddie like a magnet, so even though Eddie tried to find the most hidden spot in the lecture hall, Richie plopped down in the seat next to him with a smug smile and a wink right before the professor started lecture. 

And now here they were. Both knowing just how badly they were doing in the class. 

Spitting out, "I guess so," felt like waving a white flag. Through how much Richie annoyed Eddie, he didn't really hate him, but Eddie had no intention of letting him know that. This simple action of accepting any voluntary interaction between the two felt like he was losing the battle, but as Eddie searched for any malicious intent in the crystal blue eyes in front of him, all fear and resentment washed away. 

Another wide grin broke out across Richie's face and the skin around his eyes crinkled as he said, "Then it's a date, Eds," before skating off. 

"Not a date, jackass!" Eddie yelled out at him as heat rushed to his cheeks. 

—

"I can't believe you guys even talk to those idiots! They all probably have fucking brain damage at this point from slamming eachother into walls. How can you even hold a coherent conversation with those brainless jerks."

"Okay Richie and Bill may be idiots, but Ben and Mike are actually sweethearts," Beverly quickly defended. 

"And despite his general personality, I do have to admit that Richie can be funny at times," surprisingly came from Stan. 

Eddie took this sudden kind behavior as a direct insult, "What the hell, Stanley! You're defending Richie? What has this cruel world come to?"

"I don't even know why you hate Richie so much when _you're_ the one he wants to fuck," Beverly sighed, quickly diverting the attention back to the issue at hand: Eddie's inability to recognize his own feelings. 

"Ew! First of all, don't say that and second of all, no he does not want to fuck me. Don't even put that idea out into the universe."

Stan and Beverly exchanged an amused look across the center console as Eddie huffed an angry breath in the backseat. The statement with its followed silence made heat rise to Eddie's face once again and as his ears began to burn. Eddie began bouncing his leg to let out his nervous energy. 

"Also Richie Tozier is the straightest guy known to man! He might talk about dick all of the time but that's just because he's insecure with how small his own one is. I would rather suck Mike Pence's cock than even touch Richie Tozier. Hell, you could offer me a million dollars and I wouldn't even give him a hug! He's literally so fucking annoying! Can he not just shut up for like half a second and think about anyone besides himself? He's the physical manifestation of the devil. I'm stating it here and now, folks. When the world is overthrown by some creature, I bet you money that Richie Tozier will be to blame!"

"You done?" 

"Yeah."

—

_**richie tozier** _

_7:47pm - "hey"_

Eddie was pacing his bedroom floor as he stared at the phone in his hand, wondering if should block the number and throw his phone out the window for good measure. 

This wasn't the first time the two boys had texted each other and every previous occurrence had left Eddie with the same breathless nerves that his childhood self would have associated with asthma but that he now knows is simply a product of generalized anxiety disorder.

Eddie scrolled up, analyzing their previously exchanged messages.

_(9/15/19)_

_ **richie tozier** _

_12:38pm - "yo eddie spaghetti!"_

_12:38pm - "its me"_

_12:38pm- "the one and only richie 'the trashmouth' tozier!"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_12:45pm - "Don't fucking call me that asshole"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_12:46pm - "there's the little firecracker i know and love"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_12:46pm - "What do you want dick"_

_ **richie tozier** _

_12:47pm - "i mean im always up for some dick"_

_12:47pm - "but i was actually going to ask you what the gov reading assignment is"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_12:48pm - "Chapter 16 and 17"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_12:48pm - "thank you my love"  
_

_12:48pm - "i am forever grateful"_

_12:51pm - "is that dick offer still on the table?"_

_ **eddie kaspbrak**  
_

_12:52pm - "Stfu"_

_(9/27/19)_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_9:32am - "Hey Richie?"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_10:05am - "how may i be of your service, eduardo"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_10:07am - "I think I'm coming down with a cold. Can you actually take notes in gov today so I don't fall behind?"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_10:07am - "anything for you sweetie pie"_

...

_  
**richie tozier** _

_2:34pm - "yo what dorm do you live in"_

_2:34pm - "adams handed out some articles and i'll bring you my notes"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_2:37pm - "Blanton"_

_2:39pm - "Let me know when you get here and I'll come get you from the lobby"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_2:45pm - "edpunzel edpunzel, let down your hair"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_2:46pm - "I'm coming"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_2:46pm - "i see the apple doesnt fall far from the tree"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_2:46pm - "Huh?"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_2:46pm - "oh innocent little virgin eds <3"_

_2:46pm - "'im coming' is one of your mom's favorite things to say to me"_

** _eddie kaspbrak _ **

_2:47pm - "I'm abandoning you in the lobby."_

_2:47pm - "Also fuck you I'm not a virgin"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_2:47pm - "sure thing, buttercup"_

_2:47pm - "plus i know you cant stay away from little ol' me"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_2:47pm - "Don't test me, Tozier"_

...

_ **eddie kaspbrak** _

_4:05pm - "Thanks again for the soup, asshole" _

_ **richie tozier** _

_4:06pm - "made with all the love that mr. campbell himself could offer up"_

And now Eddie was left with this three lettered message.

He knew that this text shouldn't be a big deal, but the idea of committing to spending time alone with Richie Tozier made him sick to his stomach. He wasn't completely comfortable with deciphering why this was, but part of him knew well enough that this wasn't everyday nerves. 

_ **eddie kaspbrak** _

_7:58pm - "Hi"_

** _richie tozier_ **

_8:02pm - "so when and where are you taking me for our date tomorrow"_

** _eddie kaspbrak_ **

_8:03pm - "Life sciences library @ 11:30am"_

_8:03pm - "And this is still not a date"_

_ **richie tozier** _

_8:03pm - "see ya then, sugarplum ;-)" _

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know shit about figure skating, but I'm slowly becoming obsessed with it and Adam Rippon. Also I saw Eddie's sassy little personality in Adam and I was ~inspired~. 
> 
> Basically please don't give me shit if my figure skating research does not pay off. 
> 
> Also sorry that this fic is literally a cliche. I just really like a slow burn with some good ole fashioned arguing because I mean that's always cute. But I also just wanted to depict both Eddie and Richie as the nervous recks that the both are because those two need to be exposed.


End file.
